Dan Kistler Studios

Iraklio - overrun with cars

I have had the opportunity to visit Iraklio on the island of Crete and have come to the conclusion that unless you love demolition type driving don’t plan on driving in and around this city.

My most recent brought this home in no uncertain terms. After getting off the ferry from Santorini and meeting our tour company contact, picking up the three very large vans needed to move our large group around the island we were to follow our tour contact to the hotel. This seemed like a great added bonus since the contact was there really to just get us our vans. The sun was going, it was a beautiful evening, warm with a hint of a breeze and what could be better than being on a Greek island in May.

The tour contact zipped off on his scooter and we followed along. He was zipping along through streets clogged with cars—cars parked in every single open space, in all lanes of traffic and even places where there were no lanes and more. We zipped down one street that was wide enough for one car in one direction but that really was not how the street was used  because up ahead I could see a bus, a city bus headed my way. How we passed without contact is still a mystery to me. After about ten minutes of harrowing streets, almost hitting this, that and everyone out for the evening we finally made it back to the main street down by the water front. This was a real road with lanes and everything even lines on the road. This was easy but it did not last.

We turned up yet another street that appeared to be just slightly wider than an alley to get to the hotel. Then came the turn that nearly did us all in. Imagine turning down a small street with a huge van full of college students who are crammed in with all their gear, you cannot see out any window except straight ahead, the van in slightly underpowered and it is dark in a city where you cannot speak or read the language. And turning onto a street once again filled with cars and far too narrow. Only solution is to go over the sidewalk and just hope the tires do not explode.

We made the turn after backing up a couple of times to try the turn again. Of course this brought out a chorus of horn honking from everyone we held up and that seemed to be everyone in this part of town. We stopped in front of the hotel to unload, nowhere to park so you just block the street and get the horns all over again.

Dump the students and gear and drive down to the parking area which was just a block down the street. As soon as I got in I could hear the lot attendant yelling at the first van about something and hearing lots of no’s. Apparently this was only for local residents. So back out on the street headed toward so other parking area somewhere to the right. I followed the other van down to the main street only to lose them there and then I was on my own.

I was lost, really lost. No idea where this garage or parking area was. I could get back to the hotel but what good was that. So I drove and drove and drove some more hoping I would find this place. Finally I gave up and returned to the hotel and by some miracle the tour agent was there and was to lead us to the underground parking garage. We arrived at the garage and dropped off the vans and left them there for the next day.

My advice. If you find yourself in Iraklio and want to stay there for a day or two do it without a car. Ride the bus, walk, run or get a scooter. This place was not meant for cars and it has been overrun by cars. It is meant for walking. And if you insist on having a car use it to drive out of town. I dare you to park anywhere near the Kastro Hotel without putting your life in danger. I love to drive and I can handle traffic. But this experience was so intense, such a shock to the system I think it left a mark—tire tracks across my back. Never in my life have I encountered such intense traffic, narrow streets, near-death experiences at every intersection, seen so many cars stacked up in every direction on the sides of the roads and so many people intent on getting from place to place in their cars.